


Maybe, Peace Is An Option

by MusicTimeHD



Category: Dream SMP (Minecraft Server), Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst and Feels, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Animal hybrids, Badly Worded Politics, Because its funny and kind of cute in a platonic way, But Manberg is One of the Best Places for Them, Comfort/Angst, Crack and Angst, Dad Schlatt, DadSchlatt, Dave | Technoblade and Wilbur Soot and TommyInnit are Siblings, Domestic Fluff, Dream is a Little Shit, Dreamnotfound and Dreamnap, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Loves Tubbo, Everyone Needs A Hug, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, He Copes With Alcohol, He Just Wants To Make Things Better, Hybrids were not and still aren't treated completely right everywhere, I Should Probably Stop With Tags Now, I'm Trying But The Politics Are Probably Very Off, Jschlatt Angst, Jschlatt Feels, Jschlatt Feels Guilty, Jschlatt Had A More Than Shitty Childhood Here, Jschlatt is Emotionally Constipated, Just Fanfiction Because I love Soft Jschlatt, Manberg, Morally Grey Jschlatt, None of this is real, Other, Quackity angst, SO, Schlatt does have a heart I swear, Short Schlatt, Technoblade is a Little Shit, Toby Smith | Tubbo Angst, TommyInnit Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Tubbo And Tommy Are Just Good Friends And I Live For It, Which Sounds Funny But Its Actually Not Really, Wilbur Is Only Kinda Insane, but we all love him anyways, i'm bad at spelling, l'manberg, l'manburg, morally grey wilbur soot, or - Freeform, since you know, slight - Freeform, tommyinnit is a little shit, unrealistic politics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:53:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27243010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicTimeHD/pseuds/MusicTimeHD
Summary: Schlatt, despite what it may seem, just wants what's best for everyone. Maybe he won't admit it but.... he feels guilty for some of his actions too.So when Niki comes to him with a proposition that could fix his mistakes, he has no choice but to take it, and make up for the things he's done.No matter the cost it could have to his PresidencyNo matter the cost it could have on the stone cold front he spent so, so long keeping up
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Dave | Technoblade, Alexis | Quackity & Jschlatt, Alexis | Quackity & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Alexis | Quackity & TommyInnit, Alexis | Quackity & Wilbur Soot, Clay | Dream & Darryl Noveschosch, Clay | Dream & Dave | Technoblade, Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Jschlatt (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Niki | Nihachu, Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Wilbur Soot, Dave | Technoblade & Jschlatt, Dave | Technoblade & Niki | Nihachu, Dave | Technoblade & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Dave | Technoblade & TommyInnit, Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot, Floris | Fundy & Jschlatt, Floris | Fundy & Niki | Nihachu, Floris | Fundy & Wilbur Soot, GeorgeNotFound & Jschlatt (Video Blogging RPF), Jschlatt & Nihachu, Jschlatt & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Jschlatt & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Jschlatt & Wilbur Soot, Niki | Nihachu & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Niki | Nihachu & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Niki | Nihachu & Wilbur Soot, Niki | Nihachu/Wilbur Soot, Quackity & Dream, Quackity & Nihachu, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Comments: 115
Kudos: 1014





	1. Let's Make A Deal

**Author's Note:**

> My obsession with Dad Schlatt and a roleplay I've had with some friends inspired this whole thing so- Credit to them I guess?

Despite his intellect being one of the few things he actually prides himself on, he knows this was an absolutely terrible idea. Getting an anonymous letter asking you to meet up with someone alone is never, ever, a good sign, but he decided to ignore that. He wasn’t particularly in a very great mind space anyways- not with repressing his emotions as well as he does-, so the fact that this letter was most likely a trick by Pogtopia to get him alone and kill him didn’t really phase him, really.  
His conscience didn’t really kick in till he was already standing at the edge of his country’s borders, waiting silently for whoever it was that called him here to arrive.  
God, what was he doing here? He had a country to run and only so little time- he couldn’t afford to wait through a respawn! He already gets so little sleep with all the paperwork he has to do now that he didn’t have his old secretary or Vice President. Well, that is his fault, he supposes…  
He was only pulled out of his thoughts when a loud voice decided to interrupt him.  
“SCHLATT!”  
He looked up, and right across the border was Niki. She was one of the latest of Manberg’s citizens to leave and join Pogtopia, and he couldn’t really blame her. Almost everyone she fought with to gain independence for this country had been banned from even stepping foot here.  
“Hi?”  
“Hi.”  
Schlatt cringed inwardly at how awkward that came out. His usual company had been Quackity and Tubbo, but now that he had pushed them away and out of his country, he only had business based interactions with people. Not really much time to socialize when he has to do almost all the paperwork since his stand in V.P and secretary can’t even touch the amount of work Quackity and Tubbo used to do- no offense to George or Fundy.  
“May I come in to talk with you?” Her expression was almost unreadable, but her eyes shone with wispy desperation.  
“I suppose.” He knew this was a bad idea, that all of Pogtopia was in the shadows ready to attack, but something in his gut told him that he needed to do this.  
Niki took hesitant steps at first, but soon her pace quickened. It took all the will Schlatt had to not divulge into his childhood instincts and run off, away from the fast movement that almost always resulted in a slap or some caretaker from his old orphanage trying to tug off his horns since they weren’t ‘natural’. Trust him, no matter how much force you put on them they were never gonna pop off.  
She stopped right in front of Schlatt and didn’t just abruptly stab him, much to his relief and underlying dislike.  
“I want to talk about you letting Wilbur and Tommy and all the rest of Pogtopia back into L’Manberg if you’ll let us.” Schlatt had the urge to correct her, saying it was Manberg now, but he couldn’t find it in whatever the fuck his heart was now to actually do so.  
“I should’ve known that was coming.”  
“Honestly? Yeah, you should’ve.”  
Niki stared at him, so he stared back. The tension between the two was thick, but that was to be expected, at this point. It stayed like that for a while until she dropped the stare and almost- shrunk down in exhaustion.  
“Look, if I’m being honest, Schlatt, you’re no Wilbur. You don’t run L’Manberg as he did.”  
“I think that’s very obvious.”  
While that isn’t wrong, it isn’t right either, honestly. He and Wilbur ran things and seemed so different on the outside, but at their core- they were so similar. Maybe that’s why they clicked so easily when they were younger; they bounced so well off each other- well, not as well as Schlatt and Quackity bounced off each other now, but still. Hell, the reason why Dream banished from this side of the world for so long was because he had broken through Dream’s house just to yell at the man for what he had done to his friends at the start of the revolution. And then, he was only unbanned because of a deal he was basically forced to make with the green man. He doesn’t hate Dream for the deal, what it entailed was borderline necessary, but he wished that things were handled better. He knew that Wilbur wasn’t exactly the kind of person to actually listen to others’ opinions and suggestions over his own- his stubborn ass would’ve ended up being a Tyrant, even if he didn’t intend to. Not that Schlatt could talk- he basically was one for a while there too, but Quackity leaving bitch slapped him out of the power-hungry haze he was stuck in. He’d blame it on his lack of control over anything in his childhood, but he actually hurt people because he couldn’t get over the fact that he had power for once. There’s no excuse for that. “Just- let us go in together, for one day- ONE DAY. We just want to know how you’re running the sacred land.”  
Schlatt knew what he needed to do the moment those words left her mouth- even if he knew that there was almost a guarantee that they would try and take him down in the process of it.  
“Let me make you a deal, then.”  
Her face lit up, if only for a moment before she realized she was in front of the enemy and switched back to the stone-cold look she was wearing before.  
“Name your price.”  
Schlatt was slightly taken aback by the fact that she automatically assumed he wanted her to do something in return, but he shouldn’t be surprised. He might as well take the opportunity, though.  
“I don’t need to be bribed- all I ask is for a favor.”  
“Anything, if it means we can see we get to see our land again.”  
Schlatt had to admire that absolute look of determination that spread across her face- he’s seen the same exact one on Tubbo so many times before when he was still secretary. He supposes it comes with fighting in a war. He can’t really relate- most fighting he’s done is when he tried to defend himself from the kids who saw him as a weak target.  
“You're awfully quiet.”  
Schlatt shook himself out of his thoughts.  
“I want you to make sure that both Tubbo and Tommy are staying out of any fighting between, well, us all.” Schlatt shifted his stare over to one of the many trees around them.  
“They’re just kids- they should be enjoying that instead of this.” When he looked back, he could see that her gaze had softened.  
“.... I don’t think I promise that I can, but yeah, for once, I agree with you.”  
Schlatt pushed back a sigh- he should’ve expected that too- The whole reason he gave Tubbo so much work as his secretary was because he wanted to make sure he wasn’t out there, fighting battles that weren’t his own.  
“At this point, trying is enough- look out for Quackity, too, since he’s joined your side.”  
She gave him this odd look that he couldn’t really describe. Maybe it has to do with her not expecting him to actually care about someone specifically, not with the cold and calculating front he always had up.  
“I will.”  
She starts to back up, going to leave but stops.  
“Also, did Tubbo tell you he was pregnant?”  
That question made him freeze in the middle of the step he was starting to take back, just from the confusion it brought.  
“Well, yes, he did. I didn’t pry because it is none of my business.”  
And, really, it wasn’t. If he was actually pregnant, then good for him, and if he was lying then Schlatt would know sooner or later anyway.  
“I swear if it’s with yours….”  
Now, that was something he would take offense to.  
“We may not agree on many different fronts, but I assure you that I would never stoop that low. He’s still a kid, for christ’s sake.”  
“You better not have because that is illegal.”  
She let out a dangerous sounding chuckle that honestly scared Schlatt, no matter if he knew he hadn’t actually done anything.  
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”  
They stood there, just awkwardly staring at each other when Schlatt spontaneously made a decision.  
“You’ve got a week to go in and out of here.”  
This time, he could tell what emotion she was showing- bewilderment.  
“A week? Like, starting today?”  
“It’s late, so it’d start tomorrow, but yeah.”  
She blinked at him multiple times- he knew she didn’t expect this, but surprise- he didn’t either. It didn’t matter, either way: He had… mistakes to make up for, and this was his one chance to do so.  
“Take it or leave it.”  
“Okay, deal.”  
She walked back to Schlatt and held her hand out. He reached over and shook it.  
“Don't make me regret this.”  
She cracked a sly smile as the two stopped shaking hands and quickly wiped her hand on her shirt. Probably because she wanted nothing to do with him, which is fair. He wished he wasn’t him, too.  
“Rude, but I get it, I suppose.”  
She let out a snort.  
“What? I don’t want your cooties.”  
Schlatt almost smiled at that, but he had a front to keep up. Niki looked up at the descending sun.  
“It’s getting dark- I better go.”  
She backed up once again and began walking off.  
“Meet here tomorrow.”  
She stopped and stared at him.  
“You know, Schlatt, word of advice: Soften up. No need to be so tense around me.”  
He, himself, stared for a moment before just shaking his head.  
“Go on, they’re probably waiting for you.”  
She let out a sigh but turned towards the woods.  
“Yeah, bye. Nice talking business with you.”  
With that, she walked back into the woods. He waited for a bit until her footsteps disappeared from his earshot before backing up and walking back into Manberg.  
He had a lot of paperwork to get through tonight and a lot of announcements to make before tomorrow. Time to crack out the coffee and alcohol.


	2. It's a Start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna say now- I have no schedule and I will definitely probably not add chapters this fast.

The overall conscientious of Pogtopia, after Niki and Techno ( he had hidden in shadows to make sure nothing bad happened) had come back bearing the news that they had a week to stay in Manberg, was that this was an elaborate trap. There was no way the Schlatt would just let them waltz into the nation for a week and then expect them to leave afterward- obviously, he planned to capture them and put them in jail or something.   
Both Niki and Techno refrained from telling them what he had traded this week for.  
Either way, they were going to show up, armored, because even in the slight chance that it wasn’t a trap, they needed to make sure they could get out of there fast.  
Schlatt, on the other hand, was going to just show up with George at his side, wearing his usual formal attire.  
He notified Fundy of the situation and let him make the announcement as he and George got themselves ready to greet the ‘guests’. He had some rooms prepared for them all, including both Tubbo’s and Quackity’s old rooms, even if he knew almost all of them would opt-out of staying in the White House with him there. It’s not like he even used his room; he was in his office 24/7 from all the work he has. If he even had time to sleep, he’d just take a short nap on the couch he had situated to the left side of the room. Anyways, even so, he’d have to be prepared for whatever the next few days bring.  
Instead of his usual pitch-black suit, he decided to go with a dark blueish grey instead with a lilac purple tie. He won’t say that he’s the best at matching clothes, but he knows that purple does go well with blue, so he’ll wing it. He used to always slick his hair back, but recently, especially as he’s just lost the energy to care when he was spending all day in his office with no interaction with anyone besides George and Fundy, he’s just let it curl out, as it naturally does. Schlatt went to slick it back, as he will be in public today, but he decided to let it be. He was already changing his usual dress style, and he honestly felt more comfortable with his hair this way anyway. He made sure to still comb it through though.  
He hadn’t slept at all, either, and he had pretty deep eye bags, but that’s nothing a small bit of makeup couldn’t cover up. His horns were as shiny as ever, though, they did look less… intimidating? With his hair laying naturally. The curls in his hair did hide them more than usual- well, as much as you can hide huge ram horns. He’s never liked his horns- they caused him so much suffering as a child and being a hybrid is still a pain today- but he won’t deny that they definitely do help with his usual calculating and cold look. Today, though, they oddly make him seem almost more innocent than intimidating.  
He finished up with his looks, grabbing a backpack and filling it with some things that might be needed for what he had planned for today- water bottles (2 extra bottles of coffee and whiskey for him respectively), some medical supplies in case something went wrong and someone got hurt, some snacks for eating in between meals, and just some other general things for a long walk.  
Schlatt decided that since there was still some time before he and George were set to head out, he would make the two a quick breakfast (he’d make Fundy something too if he wasn’t already out and about)- hell, you know what, he’ll make some for the guests too. He grabbed two packs of quick make biscuits and tossed them in the oven before taking out a pack of bacon to fry. He was about halfway through preparing everything when George finally joined him in the kitchen- wearing his usual clothes instead of anything too formal.  
“I’m not complaining since you do make pretty good food, but why are you making so much?” Schlatt let a smile appear on his face- George was one of the only people that really got to see that side of him, along with Fundy.  
“Ah, I decided to go ahead and make the guest some breakfast too. Wait, are they even technically guests? Most of them literally founded this country.”  
“I’ve gotta say- it’s still really weird to see Mr.Cold and Serious nervous.” Schlatt sent him a look as he flipped a piece of bacon.  
“Well, feel lucky- you’re one of the few people who have.” George walked over, rolling his eyes, and reached to grab a piece of bacon. Schlatt swats his hand away from it.  
“It’s still hot. You’re gonna burn yourself.” George let out a snort and reached for the bacon again anyways.  
“Yeah yeah, whatever dad-” He grabs a piece and immediately drops it, letting out a hiss as his hand retreated.  
“Told you.”  
“Suck it, Dadschlatt.”  
Schlatt let out a quiet laugh as the two fell into a comfortable silence. After Quackity and Tubbo left, he decided that he needed to open up to someone, at least, so he chose his stand in Vice President and Secretary, or George and Fundy. He didn’t really spill his feelings to them, no- he still kept them to himself-, but he didn’t intentionally hide them either. Like, if he felt happy, he would actually express that instead of just diluting the feeling to keep up that cold front.  
“Hey, isn’t Techno literally a pig hybrid?”  
“…”  
“Mother FUCKER-”  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
After about 15 minutes, Schlatt finally finished making all the bacon sandwiches and one chicken sandwich with George just losing his shit, still, in the background.  
“I seriously can’t believe that you forgot about Techno being a pig!” Schlatt rolled his eyes at his Vice President.  
“Hardy Har Har- if they ask, you’re the one who made the breakfast and packed all the snacks and shit.” George peered at him over his white-rimmed sunglasses as he lowered the box of breakfast biscuits into the backpack Schlatt had prepared before.  
“Awww, does Mr.President not want the enemy knowing he’s actually a big softy now?” Schlatt reached over and swatted him in the back of the head.  
“Ouch-!” George rubbed the back of his head with hand.  
“For someone even shorter than me, you have an arm.” Schlatt sent him a playful glare.  
“We should start on our way- it’s almost 9:30 and I’m not sure when they will arrive.” George slipped the backpack on and grabbed his bacon biscuit from where he had set it.  
“Did you not actually agree on a time?” The two headed for the door, munching on their breakfast.  
“No- I’m just assuming that they’d want to arrive early so that they have all the time here that they can.” George gave a small hum in response.  
The two walked out, greeting the villagers they passed as they made their way into the woods. They both went back and forth with banter until they arrived near where Schlatt had his conversation with Niki the night before.  
“Well, this is awkward.”  
Dream smiled sheepishly at George.  
“Not sure what you expected, Gogy.”  
Well, Schlatt definitely expected at least Dream and Techno to be decked out in armor, but he didn’t expect all of them to be well equipped like they were going into a warzone. So much for keeping Tubbo and Tommy out of the fighting, huh?  
\-----------------------------------------------  
Tommy’s not really sure what he expected- probably to be ambushed by a hell of a lot of guards-, but what he didn’t expect was for Schlatt to just walk up casually with George at his side, donning no armor or without any guards at all.  
After Big D’s and George’s exchange, there was a long pause of awkward silence. Tommy took this moment to just… study Schlatt.  
Schlatt still looked like, well, Schlatt, but the subtle differences to appearance were weirdly noticeable. First off, and somehow the most prominent, was his hair. Tommy had never seen his hair without it being slicked back, but now, it was just down and curly. He never even knew Schlatt had curly hair. Then there was his suit, which wasn’t as pitch black as Schlatt’s soul like it usually was. If Tommy was honest, it was so weird.  
“Yeah, I can’t take the awkwardness of this.” As George pulled his backpack in front of himself, Tommy sent a sideways glance to Tubbo. He looked… tense, but Tommy couldn’t blame him; he was right in front of the man who had set for him to be publicly executed. Hell- Tubbo was still kinda tense around Techno too, for similar reasons. Tubbo seemed to notice his look and sent him a smile back. It didn’t reach his eyes.  
“We brought you guys breakfast biscuits!” George pulled a plastic box from the backpack, and Schlatt reached over and pulled a black cup with a red lid out. Great to see he’s still going with the usual aesthetic.  
“They’re bacon biscuits, but we made sure to make a chicken one for you Techno.” George continued as Schlatt took a sip from his cup.  
“How considerate.” Techno gave a lazy smirk as he put his sword away. George simply took off the lid from the box and handed him one from the top.  
“Ya sure they aren’t poisoned?” Niki elbowed Wilbur in the side and he just stuck his tongue out at her back.  
“What he means is thank you.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes either.  
“Well don't thank me- Mr.Pres came up with the idea and cooked it all.” Everyone just went silent at that. Schlatt was staring daggers at George but he just shook his head.  
“Just take the free food.” And with that, everyone got up from where they were and grabbed a biscuit. Tommy couldn’t lie- despite the fact that he could tell the biscuits themselves weren't homemade, he had to admit that they were good. Tubbo chatted to him about visiting his bee farm as they ate, but Tommy was focused on something else.  
Schlatt seemed so off from before. As he chatted with George, and Dream when he eventually joined in too, he wasn’t just cold, like usual. If Tommy was honest, he almost sounded like an exasperated dad.  
“After today, we are burning something down with Sap.”  
“Please, for the love of god, don’t burn something down- I have enough paperwork as is.”  
“No promises, old man.” Dream added, and Schlatt just sighed.  
“Pass me my other drink George.”  
“Damn, no thank you to your V.P? I feel loved.” Schlatt gave him a deadpan look as George reached into the backpack and pulled another cup. Tommy looked over to Quackity, who had been silent so far, and he could see the hurt on his face. George went to pass it to Schlatt but pulled it back suddenly, smelling it.  
“Did you actually bring whiskey?” At this point, everyone was just listening in to their conversation.  
“I’m gonna need it with this group- hand it over.” George passed it over to him and he took a long chug from it before handing it back over to George. Then Schlatt turned to the now silent Pogtopia.  
“Right, down to business. Niki said that you guys wanted to see what I’ve ‘done’ to Manberg, so that’s what we’re doing this first day.”  
Wilbur opened his mouth to speak, but Schlatt just continued over him.  
“No, I’m not controlling what you do every day of this week unless you really fucking want me too. Today’s just tour day since I know most of you have only seen parts of what’s been done through your ‘unnoticed’ visits in and out.”  
Did Schlatt actually know of all of their spying? Tommy could’ve sworn that he always went unseen- that didn’t even touch the fact that Schlatt had said that so casually, like he didn’t even care.  
“Anyways, we better get on our way if we want to cover everything before dinner. Lead the way, George.”  
“As you wish, Mr.President.”


	3. Reconnecting

The trek back to Manberg wasn’t a long one, but man did it feel like it with all the questions they shot at Schlatt.  
“You’re showing us what you’ve done to the country physically, but what else have you done?” Schlatt screwed on the lid to his coffee cup.  
“Hybrid laws.” Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tubbo light up, if only for a moment. That was one the ideas Tubbo had brought to him when he was Secretary, even if Schlatt himself was already planning on making them. Seeing the kid happy honestly made him happy too, but he pushed it down and kept a neutral face.  
“What do you mean?” Tommy piped up from beside Tubbo.  
“Right, you grew up in Dream’s kingdom and what not. Look, hybrid’s aren’t exactly the most accepted people, and I’m not going to tolerate any prejudice while I’m in charge.” Wilbur still kept a hard look on his face, but you could tell that he agreed with what Schlatt was saying, for once.  
“Any other big thing you’ve put into place?” Man, if Schlatt was already getting tired of questions, this was gonna be one long fucking day.  
“You’ll figure the rest out as we tour everything- we are almost there!” Thank god for George.  
The rest of the walk to Manberg was filled with banter between George, Dream, Techno, and surprisingly, Schlatt.  
“So, wanna tell me about this burning thing you mentioned earlier? Sounds like anarchy.” Should’ve expected that from Techno.  
“Mostly just burning some leftover materials from newly built houses.”  
“Count me in.” Schlatt shook his head from the side.  
“Those leftovers were planned to be used to make other houses, so no.” George fack pouted beside him.  
“Come onnnnnnn, we have more than enough materials for us to be able to burn them!” Both George and Dream sent him puppy dog eyes while Techno just stared at him dead on- god, he hated puppy dog eyes. Mostly because he had a weakness to them.  
“I can’t stop you, can I?” A look of triumph came to George’s face.  
“Always works-!”  
“And no, you can’t.” Dream added on. Schlatt sighed.  
“I hate all of you so much.”  
“Feeling’s mutual!” Wilbur shouted from the back. Schlatt simply sent the bird to him. It took more effort than it should’ve for both Tubbo and Tommy not to laugh.  
The rest of the walk to Manberg was silent, but oddly, it wasn’t too awkward or tense. Mostly because of Tommy and Tubbo’s occasional giggle from the looks they were sending each other and the fact that George was just poking Schlatt in the cheek over and over again, much to his discomfort. He did nothing to stop it, though- maybe it was from the fact he was, by definition, touch-starved.  
As soon as they all reached the edge of Manberg, an Orange blur came running up so fast that if it weren’t for the fact that they all only knew one person with super speed, they wouldn’t be able to tell who it was.  
“Schlatt-!” The Orange blob wasn’t able to stop himself fast enough and ran into the President, who would’ve fallen over if it weren’t for the tree to his side.  
Pogtopia was quiet and slightly worried, especially Wilbur. Schlatt was always really cold and it only took a small action to set him off- none of them wanted the person he went off on to be Fundy, despite the fact he had been proudly on Manberg’s side. To their surprise, though, Schlatt simply shrugged it off.  
“Shoot- Sorry Mr.President!” Schlatt pushed himself off of the tree and patted the bits of dirt off the side of his suit.  
“Don’t worry about it- you’re still getting the hang of your abilities.” Fundy beamed up at him- well, he would, if first, Schlatt wasn’t so short, and second, he didn’t notice the crowd behind the President.  
“I see they’ve all arrived- I made the announcement to everyone, as you asked.” Fundy had an uneasy, hesitant look to him and despite wanting to keep his cold front up in front of Pogtopia, Schlatt couldn’t help but send him a quick smile. Luckily, no one else saw it besides maybe Dream and Techno.  
“Good, good.” He gave a small ruff to the fox hybrid’s hair and then turned towards his V.P.  
“If you want to meet up with Sapnap and take Dream on a tour yourselves, go ahead. Take Techno with you too.” George’s face lit up.  
“Hell yeah! Thanks, Dadschlatt!” He linked arms with Dream and started to drag him off, Techno letting out a quiet chuckle as he tagged along behind.  
“....Did he just call you Dadschlatt?” And like that, all his social skills just turned off. His hands started twitching slightly, too- how was he supposed to respond to that-?  
“Can I tag along with you guys for the tour?” Thank god for Fundy.  
“If you want, kiddo.” Schlatt shook his head and peered back at the people left.  
“First stop is going to be the White House so you can set your stuff down and be better prepared for the long trek around this place. The city has gotten much bigger since some of you have been here.” Quackity immediately shook out of whatever thoughts he was having.  
“....I thought you were tearing it down?” Luckily, Schlatt did prepare for this one.  
“Didn’t see the point anymore- it was more work than needed.” In reality? He didn’t tear it down because he mentally couldn’t - not after Quackity left. Not after he lost one of the people he cared the most for.  
Quackity, himself, could tell that what he said was a lie. Actually, so could Tubbo- and, of course, Fundy.  
“Anyways, let’s get on our way so we have time to get everywhere.” Schlatt started walking, Fundy at his side, toward the White House: his home. As they walked, Wilbur jogged up to Fundy’s other side, leaving Quackity to be the back of the pack. Fundy was back to his hesitant and uncomfortable stance before, but that quickly went away when Wilbur pulled him into a side hug as they moved forward. All bits of terrible feelings dropped at that moment, and he melted into the touch. If there was one reason for Schlatt to regret banning Wilbur, it was because he pulled Fundy’s dad away from him. Despite never meeting his parents, Schlatt knew how important family was.  
It took a few minutes, but they eventually reached the White House.  
“If you need somewhere to stay, I prepared some rooms for you all. I doubt you want to stay here, but still.” He turned back towards the group as he opened the door.  
Much to his surprise, they all immediately agreed. Though, maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised. Both Tommy and Wilbur’s old homes had been left abandoned- and weren’t exactly in working order. Tubbo wouldn’t want to leave Tommy’s side, nor would Niki want to leave Wilbur’s side, either. He could respect that- the ladder two were in a relationship and the former were best friends. Quackity’s reason was probably because he wanted to stick to the group.  
Overall, though, Schlatt suspected they wanted to overhear and spy on whatever drama they thought would be heard around the White House- bad news for them, the people were somewhat happy with his leadership now that he implemented his new ‘People’s Opinions’ system and the hybrid law reforms.  
“Right- I’ll show you your rooms.” And with a quick walk, they were there.  
“Both Tubbo and Quackity know their rooms- you can go ahead and head in there if you wish. The rest of them are labeled. Meet me back at the front in 30 minutes.” Schlatt waited until all of them found their rooms and went in, Fundy following Wilbur and Niki into their room. As soon as all of them were out of sight, he sagged down and let out a sigh. This was going to be such a long, long day.  
Schlatt made a quick stop in his room to grab another backpack since George had left off with the original one before giving it back to Schlatt. As he went to leave, he caught a glimpse of the outside through his window. The sun was beaming down and made everything so bright- almost brighter than his eyes could handle without his glasses. He had already been sweating his ass off during the mere hour he had been outside before, and when he went up to lightly touch the foundation he put on to hide his eye bags it was definitely less…. solid(?) than before. It definitely wouldn’t stay on if he kept sweating as much as he had, even if he reapplied it, so after thinking about it for a minute, he walked back in and changed into something more… light.  
It was a simple, light grey button-up that he tucked into his black shorts, which he had to keep up with a belt. He had lost a bit of weight since he had last worn them, probably because he wasn’t the best at keeping up with his eating schedule when he was focused on getting through enough paperwork for him to get the time to get at least 4 hours of sleep. Though, George and Fundy had been making sure he actually ate as of recently, even if he still did paperwork during that, too. He had to push up his sleeves as they were a little long on him, even if they were supposed to stop at his elbows. Overall, he didn’t look half bad.  
He quickly reapplied the foundation under his eyes before heading out to the kitchen where he stocked the bag full of snacks and water bottles once more. He left for a few moments to grab some medical supplies and when he arrived back, he didn’t expect Quackity to be there, too.  
“Oh…! Hola a todos, Schlatt.” Schlatt took in a sharp breath.  
“Hi to you, too.” He walked over to the backpack, which he had set on the dining table, and placed the 1st aid kit he had gotten in it.  
The silence that followed was so, so painful that it took all Schlatt had to not dip out of there. He still needed to get another bottle of coffee and whiskey.  
He slowly walked past Quackity, who was sitting in one of the chairs to the table, grabbed two cups, and opened another cabinet that stored all his alcohol. He was so close to grabbing the bottle when Quackity’s words froze him.  
“You were lying when you told us why you kept the White House, weren’t you?”  
Schlatt wanted to lie and say he wasn’t, but when he opened his mouth to reply, nothing came out. He just reached upwards, on his tippy toes, and grabbed the bottle; he was pulling it down when another hand came around and tugged the bottle away from him. When he turned around, his breathing picking up slightly, Quackity had the bottle and set it down behind him on the kitchen counter.  
“You shouldn’t be drinking now- Please don’t ignore me, mi amor.” Schlatt had already reached up and grabbed another bottle from his stash.  
“Pretty sure the sappy nicknames ended the minute you left.” If he couldn’t lie, then he’d at least try and deflect.  
“I left because you wanted to tear down the place I spent so long to help build- Maldicion, you did start tearing it down. I just wanna know the real reason you stopped.” Looks like his sad attempt to deflect wasn’t gonna work, so he just stayed silent and poured the whiskey into one of his cups. He could hear Quackity sigh from behind him and he couldn’t blame the duck- he was usually disappointed in himself, too.  
“Was this just some elaborate joke?” Of course not- he may have been power-hungry at the time, but he would never make a joke about that.  
“Did you just want to get rid of me?” Never. He’d never want that. He could feel his hands start to shake, slightly.  
“Or was it some other thing- some way to show how much power you had over everyone?” At that, Schlatt sat the bottle onto the counter, much harder than he meant to. Behind him, he could hear Quackity’s breath hitch. His breathing, however, had picked up pace.  
“No- just…. no.” He finally replied, bringing both hands to his chest, one of his thumbs running over the other hand.  
“Then… why?” He could hear Quackity’s voice crack slightly, at the end, like he was close to crying. He hated that he was so upset- even more so at the fact he had caused it. Schlatt, himself, could feel tears begin to build up. He hated this, he hated it so, so much- but Quackity’s feelings mattered more than his front, so he sucked it up, squeezing his eyes shut, and replied with the truth.  
“I couldn’t do it.” He turned around to see Quackity had let a few tears slip. It took all of his will not to reach over and brush them away from his friend’s face.  
“I couldn’t do it after you left.” The two stared at each other for a bit.  
That is, until Quackity leaned over and pulled the shorter man into a hug.  
Immediately, Schlatt wanted to pull away because he didn’t deserve this- not after the emotional damage he did to, well, everyone- but he couldn’t. He hadn’t been hugged in so, so long- he couldn’t even remember the last time, anymore. And Quackity was so warm and comforting. If Schlatt didn’t have a tour to run later, he would’ve fallen asleep, right then and there. After a moment, he melted into it, despite himself, and hugged the duck hybrid back.  
Schlatt wanted to stay like this, for forever- it was so nice- but he knew they couldn’t. He pulled back from the hug and looked up at Quackity.  
“I’d continue to hug you if we had time, but we’ve got a tour to get to.” Quackity let out a small laugh as he reached up and wiped away his own tears.  
“Yeah yeah, I know, Señor bonito.” He reached over and wiped away the tears that Schlatt didn’t even notice he had cried out. What he had forgotten about was the foundation from under his eyes. Schlatt kinda froze as Quackity looked down at the bit of foundation that had rubbed off onto his thumb.  
“Are you wearing makeup?” Schlatt could hear the amusement in his voice.  
“Perhaps.”  
“You applied it pretty badly if I was able to rub it off so easily.” Quackity looked up from his thumb, finally, and his face turned to a confused concern.  
“Shit hombre- those are some pretty bad eye bags.” He reached up and whipped away the rest of the foundation, despite Schlatt’s protests.  
“How much sleep have you been getting?” If he’s honest, about 3 hours, at best.  
“That’s not healthy, mi amor.”  
Well, he hadn’t meant to say that aloud.  
“Paperwork is a bitch, and no offense to them, but George and Fundy can’t lay a finger on the amount you and Tubbo could get done.” Quackity’s eyes softened.  
“I could lead the tour you know- or even Fundy. You really need to get some sleep.” Schlatt waved him off and turned back to the whiskey bottle he had pulled down.  
“I’m fine, don’t worry about it.” Schlatt grabbed the bottle and stood on his tippy toes to put it back up, but putting things up was much harder than getting them down. He about tripped over himself but luckily Quackity was there to steady him.  
“Does the retaco need help putting his bottle away?” Schlatt sent him a glare, but Quackity laughed it off and took the bottle from him, putting it up.  
“I still think you should sleep- and not drink.” Schlatt rolled his eyes.  
“Yeah yeah- make some coffee, will you?”  
“I don’t know- should I?” Schlatt let out an amused sigh as he turned around, screwing the lid onto his whiskey bottle. Despite what he said, he did walk over and start the coffee maker.  
The rest of the time the two spent together, until they had to meet up with everyone at the front, was some of the best interaction Schlatt’s had outside of George and Fundy since Quackity had left. They went back and forth with their usual banter, as if nothing had ever happened- he even convinced Quackity to reapply the foundation he had wiped off since he was better with makeup, anyway.  
Soon, the two walked away from the kitchen, Schlatt toting the backpack along with them. He was cracking up from Quackity’s antics by the time they met back up with the others at the front of the White House.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, Quackity/Schlatt isn't going to be a ship here- mostly because I think both have said that they get uncomfortable from that.  
> Second, I'm sorry if some of the Spanish is off- I used google translate, which I know is less than reliable.  
> Third, thank you for your support! I may not reply to most of my comments, but I appreciate them all, none the less.  
> Update: Thanks dear child of the comments that corrected me on that bit of Spanish- Much love!


	4. Some Suprises

Today was just full of surprises, wasn’t it?   
First, they didn’t get completely ambushed and taken to jail by Schlatt and his guards.  
Second, Schlatt was being so fucking weird- wearing his hair down with a different colored suit, acting like an exhausted dad instead of a cold calculating asshole, and then this: he’s wearing semi-normal clothing and laughing with Quackity. Wilbur doesn’t know what to even think at this point.  
After the two turned the corner and Schlatt noticed that literally everyone was already there, despite both him and Quackity arriving slightly early, he went dead silent and skidded to a halt.   
Of course, they arrived early.  
Because the universe is just out to ruin his cold-ass reputation.  
Quackity noticed his sudden stop and looked over to where Pogtopia stood, the gears turning rapidly in his mind until it clicked.  
“We should get this show on the road, sí?” Schlatt gave Quackity a grateful look and walked straight through the pack and for the front door.  
“We’ve got a lot of places to stop at, so be ready.”  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Their first stop was right outside the White House- A quaint little building made of dark oak wood and quartz, lined by bushes of mixed flowers. No one from Pogtopia knew what the building was- even Niki, and she had only left Manberg a little more than 3 weeks ago.  
“This one hasn’t been here for long, but it’s already one of my proudest by far.” A few of them had opened their mouths to ask, but Schlatt was already walking down the stone path that led to the door. Fundy skipped ahead of the group behind him and they rushed to catch up to the two. By the time they got to the front, Schlatt was already opening the door.  
“Welcome to the ‘People’s Opinion Building’, as everyone has dubbed it.” Inside wasn’t too much, just a desk in the back with a small line of people, and two opposing doors on either of its sides. The walls were a light baby blue with dark oak floors.  
“Uh….what are you even supposed to do here?” Tommy squinted his eyes at Schlatt from behind.  
“I’m almost positive that the name tells you it’s purpose.” Everyone’s heads jerked towards the all too familiar voice that rang from the doorway of the building.  
It was Eret, looking no different from normal- except, he was missing his sunglasses, revealing his blank, white eyes- they could be mistaken for Herobrine’s eyes, honestly.  
“Eret?” The man in question walked the rest of the way into the door and ruffled Tubbo’s hair, much to both Tommy’s and Wilbur’s dislike.  
“You know it. I stopped by to suggest something and it just so happened that the group who’s the talk of the town is here.” Schlatt shook his head while Fundy rushed over and pulled Eret into a hug. Wilbur had to fight back the urge to pull his son off the man who had betrayed the very nation they were in not so long ago.  
“You know that you don’t have to come here- you can just come to my office!” Eret gave the fox hybrid a pat on the head and smiled.  
“Just thought I’d walk around and let the usuals get used to my eyes, is all.” Quackity maneuvered around everyone and found his spot beside Schlatt, again. If the duck was honest, he didn’t just miss their banter- he missed just being in the presence of his President.  
“....why didn’t you ever tell us about your eyes?” Eret turned his head towards the green-shirted boy by his side as Fundy pulled back from the hug, only to be pulled into one by his dad. The fox let out a huff of amusement at his father’s actions.  
“People weren’t and still aren’t the most accepting of hybrids, especially those who are part hostile mobs. I only recently decided to show them after the new hybrid protection laws Schlatt has enforced.” Tubbo gave the man a side hug.  
“What can I say- gotta give the bi-icon with a tight ass as much comfort as possible.” Eret lets out a laugh as Quackity squawks at the President.  
“Babe-! Why do you compliment his nice ass and not mine?!” He throws a hand over his forehead and falls back into Schlatt’s arm, who just drops him.  
“Gotta call the truth when I can, Flatty Patty.” Insert fake whining from Quackity.  
“Well, I accept you!” Eret gave the boy hugging him a smile and chuckled.  
“Thanks, Tubbo.” Eret left the hug and walked past the President and his dramatic ex. V.P.  
“Well, I’ve got stuff to attend to- I’ll see you later, Fundy.” The boy jumped up and waved at him. Eret just sent the fox a smile and walked up to the back of the short line.  
“Get up, you nerd- Anyways, as implied, this is where people come to write down their suggestions. At the end of the day, we take them all and look through them to see what changes people want the most and take action from there.” Schlatt leaned down and picked up Quackity from where he was on the ground, who simply just booped the President's nose.   
“Good god just stand up-” Quackity let out a belly laugh as he finally put pressure on his legs and stood up.  
“That should be all for here- time to move on.”  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
After the People’s Opinion Building, nothing of great significance came up until around lunchtime. Schlatt bought all of them sandwiches from a local shop and led them to a small garden that Tommy and Tubbo realized, to their joined surprise and short-lived horror, was in the same area that sat their special bench.  
“Go on in and eat- you’ve got an hour.” Immediately, the two kids rushed in to check on their beloved bench, and to their complete shock, the bench was not only still there, but it was at the center of the whole garden and looked to be in almost better shape than before. Hell- there were even roses weaved around the arms.  
As both reached the bench, Tommy realized there was something else new, as well. Hidden slightly by a rose was a small, golden plack with these words engraved into it:  
“Dedicated to the two young founders of our nation- Tommy and Tubbo”  
“Hey Big-T, look at this.” The other boy leaned over and squinted at the plack for a bit before retreating back.  
“That’s really sweet of Mr.Schlatt!” Tommy sent him a ‘really?’ look.  
“You actually think that this was Schlatt’s doing?” Tubbo took a bite of his sandwich and shrugged.  
“He seems to have changed! I’m still…. uncomfortable around him because of what he put me through at the festival, but if I can forgive Techno, and if he has actually changed, then I’m willing to give him a chance!” Tommy shook his head at his best friend’s boundless optimism.  
“I doubt it- he’s probably just trying to trick us into trusting him.” He took a chunk out of his own sandwich while Tubbo let out a small hum in response.  
“Even so-it seems he and Quackity have made up, and you know how angry and sad Quackity was when he joined us. If Quackity is willing to forgive him then something has to have changed.” Tommy hates to admit it, but Tubbo does have a point.  
“Yeah, yeah- let’s just eat our food.”  
On the other hand, Niki was eating and listening to Wilbur rant about Schlatt.  
“It’s so stupid! It’s like he’s a completely different person from before- I’ve known him for years and he’s never acted like this. It’s making me frustrated.” Niki sat her sandwich down and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
“Calm down- I think I know what might be up.” Wilbur immediately perked up. “Have you considered that he may have a… front of sorts?” He gave her a confused look.  
“I’m not too sure what you mean.”  
“What I’m saying is that he may act a certain way around most people to hide his true self.” Wilbur was quiet, for a moment, before shaking his head.  
“But he banished us! He banished us from our home.” Wilbur put his face in his hands and took a deep breath; Niki took her hand from his shoulder and began rubbing circles on his back.  
“When I met up with Schlatt yesterday, he asked me to do 2 things in return for letting us come here.” Wilbur lifted his head from his hands and looked at her with a mix of horror and concern.  
“I told you not to take the deal if he wanted a favor in return!” Niki gave him a reassuring smile.  
“He asked me to keep Tommy and Tubbo out of the fighting since they’re kids- and he wanted me to look over Quackity for him.” A wave of surprise spread across Wilbur.  
“....really?” Niki nodded before laying her head on his shoulder.  
“I know you hate him, but it might do us well to at least be friendly towards him.” Wilbur had to agree with that.  
\---------------------------------------------------  
Soon, everyone had finished eating and they continued with the tour. They passed by Niki’s old bakery, which was still running, much to her surprise.  
“Bad came to me and asked to run it in your absence, so I let him. Him, Skeppy, and Sap aren’t half bad at baking.” Niki smiled and nodded.  
“I’ll have to be the judge of that.”  
The next major stop was Tubbo’s old home and bee farm, which Schlatt himself had personally paid someone to keep in check.  
“All my bees are still here and healthy! Who took care of them?” Before Schlatt could spout some lie that another person had volunteered to keep it up, Fundy piped up, to tell the truth.  
“Mr.Pres paid one of the newer citizens to take care of them all.” Tubbo looked over to Tommy and then Schlatt with wide-eyed and a big smile on his face.  
“Thank you Schlatt!” Suddenly, the boy ran over and gave the President a hug. Schlatt’s brain crashed and did a somersault all at once. Quackity had to poke him in the cheek to semi- fix him.  
“....Your welcome.” Tubbo pulled away and ran back over to Tommy who was looking at his best friend like he was crazy. Actually, so was Wilbur.  
“I’ve got so much to show you! The farm’s grown since you’ve last seen it!” He grabbed Tommy’s hand and dragged him into the back of the house, Niki and Wilbur following behind.  
“I’m 80% sure that hug broke him.”  
“Breaking news- DadSchlatt gets a hug from Tubbson.” Quackity let out a loud laugh at what Fundy said.  
“The Funson is going to lose his job if he doesn’t shut up.” This time, all three of them ended up laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is short than the others- Next chapter should be longer


	5. Sad and Platonic with the Homies

Soon, the group was on their way again, touring the city. It was the same as before, though, Tubbo was standing somewhat closer to Schlatt while he himself, even if it was almost unnoticeable, was more…. Relaxed.  
They traveled by the flag and Eret’s castle and more, but the last notable place they went by was saddening.  
“This is our cemetery for pets.” Schlatt turned around and he could see this look spread across Tommy’s face- he was bad with emotions, but he could tell that the look was of pain.  
“If you wanna go in, go ahead.”  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Tommy knew that it wouldn’t be there. Not that he cared-  
No, he could lie to everyone else, but no himself. In all honesty, a part of him wanted there to be a grave in there- a real grave, not the makeshift one he had to make with the materials he had- but he knew better. He knew better than to hope for something that could never be a reality.  
Even so, when Niki started to make her way into there, to mourn her own lost pet, he couldn’t stop himself from walking forwards too. He could feel someone staring at him, but when he looked over his shoulder to see who it was- it wasn’t Tubbo or even Wilbur.  
It was Schlatt.  
Tommy didn’t know what to make of the smile Schlatt had on his face- it wasn’t sinister or sly, but rather…. comforting, in its own odd way. He wasn’t sure if he hated it or appreciated it.  
He shook his head and continued forward into the cemetery. The whole thing wasn’t too big, considering Sapnap’s pet killing tendencies, but that didn’t change much. He was in here for a reason, no matter how much that reason hurt him on the inside. He passed by some other graves that he didn’t have the will to remember until he got to the back of the cemetery.  
And there it was, despite all his doubt. A grave for his lost best friend, Henry.  
It was a simple grave, nothing too special, but that almost made it better. There was a mix of cypress and golden poppies that would’ve given the whole thing a more cheerful feeling, if not for the circumstances.  
Tommy’s question was who had done it? Who had made the grave for Henry? He didn’t want that person to be Schlatt, but that smile….  
It’s almost as if he knew what Tommy was looking for.  
And he wanted to say that if it was Schlatt, then he did it to try and butter up to Tommy, but it didn’t make sense. Schlatt didn’t know that he was going to be here, and he couldn’t have made a grave in less than a day. Now that he thought about it, Schlatt couldn’t have made that plack in that amount of time either.  
Tommy hated Schlatt but he somehow hated the fact that Schlatt was starting to seem like a good person more.  
He ran a hand over the top of the grave, sending his own temporary goodbye, before backtracking and leaving the cemetery. Niki had already returned, so the group had just been waiting on him. How great.  
As soon as he made it back to beside Tubbo, the other pulled him into a hug.  
“They made a grave for him,” Tommy whispered.  
“What?” Tubbo pulled back and wiped a tear that Tommy didn’t even know had fallen. God, did he feel weak and foolish for crying in front of everyone. Luckily, no one was particularly paying attention to the two.  
“I think Schlatt made a grave for Henry.” Tubbo’s face lit up with a small smile.  
“He has changed, hasn’t he?”  
“I hate to say it, but I think so.”  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
In fact, it wasn’t Schlatt who made the grave, but Bad. The demon hybrid had come to him sometime after the whole incident and asked if he could make it since he felt bad that Sapnap had caused the death of another innocent pet. Schlatt saw no reason to say no, so he gave Bad permission for it. Hell, he even forced Bad to let him pay for it all.  
After Tommy returned and whispered whatever it was to Tubbo, Schlatt started the tour back up. They only had a bit more to go, anyways, and then he'd be back in his office, going through paperwork until some decided to pity him and pull him away from it once more.  
“We’re almost done, right?” Schlatt looked over to his ex V.P.  
“Only about half an hour or so, yes.” He took a drink from his whiskey cup- the coffee one had run out long ago.  
“Bien, then you can get some sleep.” Schlatt turned from his friend’s stare.  
“I’ve got work, okay? I can’t.” He began strumming his fingers against his cup- really, he had so much to do with all the work he was already missing.  
“Dios santo, work can wait if it's going to affect your health!”  
“Yeah yeah, whatever.” He knew Quackity was going to respond with something so he turned back to the group to tell them about whatever buildings they were around. To be honest, he hadn’t been paying much attention for a while and had just let his instincts and mouth blabber on without him. He was undoubtedly tired, but he had so much to do.  
He rambled and answered questions for the rest of the trip back to the White House, knowing Quackity was staring at him, intensely, but he couldn’t look back at him. Schlatt let them in and pulled them to the kitchen where he found George had just about finished making everyone dinner. He’d have to thank his V.P later for that.  
The rest of the night went on well enough- he stayed relatively silent throughout dinner and just let everyone else do the talking. He helped everyone else with whatever they needed for their rooms and watched all of them leave to relax after the long day.  
Well, except for Quackity.  
“Come on, mi amor, you need sleep.” Schaltt turned away and started walking off in the direction of his office; Quackity quickly stayed up to pace behind him.  
“Got work to do, butter c-” And suddenly, a set of arms picked him up and off the ground from behind.  
“Set me down.”  
“Nope.” Schlatt let out a groan of annoyance as the Quackity turned him until he was being carried bridal style. He stared up at his ex V.P who just stared back down at him.  
“I have work.” Quackity turned around and started walking in the direction of all the rooms.  
“No, you have a date with conmigo and your bed.”  
“You kinky bitch.”  
“You know it, babe.”  
Schlatt just looked away from his friend and twiddled with his thumbs. Sleep really doesn’t sound too bad, god knows he needs it, but he- he can’t get behind. He has to do everything he can to help this country and if he doesn’t get his paperwork done so everything else can play out right, then it's all his fault. He’s done so much bad for everyone and he needs to fix it and this is one of the only ways he knows how.  
He’s only pulled out of his thoughts when Quackity sets him on his bed. Schlatt reached up and tried to rub the tired out of his eyes because he really needs to work on paperwork, but Quackity swatted his hands away from his eyes.  
“Don’t do that, por favor. Go change so you can sleep.” Schlatt let out a huff, but got up and grabbed some clothes anyways before going into the bathroom to change.  
“Aw, I wanted to see you change!” Schlatt reached his hand out through the door and sent Quackity the bird. He just laughed.  
He changed into a short-sleeved shirt and some shorts- he always gets hot during the night if he wears anything heavier. He used some makeup wipes to get rid of the foundation under his eyes- he’d take a shower in the morning or whatever.  
He walked back out to see Quackity sprawled across his bed, somehow already changed into his own PJs. Schlatt hadn’t even realized that he had brought PJs with him.  
“If you won’t let me work then actually give me some room on my bed.” Quackity looked over to the ram hybrid and wiggled his eyebrows.  
“‘Give you some room?’ You expecting me to stay here? Cause I sure as hell can, babe.” Still, he got up from the bed.  
Schlatt only sees Quackity as a friend- the flirting is just part of them humoring each other and what not-, but honestly, he wouldn’t mind having someone sleep with him. He’s never actually been the most romantic person, even if he has dated before, but having someone sleeping beside you was always so… warm and nice. He always feels at least somewhat at peace and comforted when he has someone beside him.  
“....You’re being quiet- do you actually want me to stay?” That shook Schlatt back into reality- he should’ve said something back in response so he didn’t make it awkward, but he always messed things up. In reality, Wilbur was his first friend, and look at how he ruined that- and then he messed up with Quackity already when he was going to tear the White House down.  
“Come on, you need as much sleep as you can get.” Schlatt looked up to see that Quackity had already gotten back onto his bed and climbed under the covers. He was hesitant as he climbed on the bed and under the covers, but Quackity just pulled the shorter man closer.  
Basically, Schlatt was getting platonically spooned, but it’s from the homie so, ya know, that’s f i n e.  
And he meant that sarcastically at first, but it actually was fine, after a bit. Quackity was warm, which was nice, and he did begin running his fingers through Schlatt’s hair. It was really…. calming.  
It wasn’t long before Schlatt was out like a light, getting some much-needed sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that this is homies being homies- you can cuddle the homies, can't change my mind  
> Update and shit: Okay, I want some clarification with what I'm going to say because I'm dumbass and need help  
> I've realized (with the help of a friend) that this is just balls deep with sexual tension and shit, even if it can be seen as platonic, so I did some research and I need help deciding this  
> Schlatt has said he's not okay with shipping irl people, but does this also cover shipping personas? Because let's be real, he and Quackity have endless sexual tension in the actual smp  
> And even if I did, ya know, go through with it, it's not going to be the main purpose or plot of this- just tidbits every so often  
> So please tell me, the raging asexual, wtf to do-


	6. Time to Contemplate Being Platonic With The Homies- But also Monopoly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like, I said I wouldn't do it but it just kinda happened-  
> I think it should be okay since I reread his response to shipping a few times, and he was mostly concerned for shipping the real-life versions of everyone, and seeing as this is a persona and he and Quackity flirt endlessly anyways in the smp so  
> Definitely gonna make sure to show guys being affectionate with guys platonically though, as that's what I was going for, but with Tommy and Tubbo, as their friendship gives me serotonin. We really need to normalized guys being affectionate with each other, ngl  
> Anyway, enjoy this chapter- it's mostly filler, but I still enjoyed writing it.  
> Edit: Yeah, I'm shit at writing romance so just take parts of this chapter as Schlatt overthinking things- I do that too much lmao. Him and Quack are just platonic soulmates here and you cant change my mind. I edited it, too, to clear it up and make it more like that.

The next morning, when Schlatt woke up, he felt considerably less warm, despite the blank laying over him. In his sleepy haze, he curled up under the covers, just wanting to go back to sleep, but then, he had a sudden realization.  
His alarm never went off.  
He scrambled up and grabbed his phone from his nightstand, turning it on  
11:09 AM  
Holy shit!  
Schlatt practically threw himself out of his bed- he had set his alarm for 6:00 AM, as usual, yet it didn’t go off. Just his fucking luck. He went to his clothes and was fixing to open the door, but stopped when he noticed that a sticky note had been stuck to the door. He carefully peeled it off before reading it.  
“Turned off your alarm since it’s a rainy day! Paperwork can wait.”  
“Ps. Probably should change your password”  
Schlatt stared at the note for a moment before reaching up and pinching the bridge of his nose. God, he’s even more behind now- It’s going to take a couple of low sleep nights to get it all caught up to his liking. Then again, he can never get as much done as he’d like.  
He opened his closet and grabbed a white button-up, a black vest, and black dress pants before exiting and grabbing whatever other clothes he needed. Afterward, he went into the bathroom to take a shower. It didn’t take too long, so he was out of the shower and changed in a flash. He grabbed his phone and pocketed it before leaving his room.  
On his way to his office, he passed through the kitchen to see some of Pogtopia there, including Quackity. He felt like saying something as he walked on, but he couldn’t bring himself to interrupt his conversation with Tommy and Wilbur. He was laughing, and that’s all he wanted for his friend.  
He went into his office and sat down in his large office chair, immediately getting started on his paperwork. It was mostly monotone, at this point, so he let his mind wander off to some other place.  
Specifically, last night.  
Quackity was, honestly, one of his greatest friends- maybe things have changed, especially because of all his mistakes, but still. He cares for him more than he’s ever cared for himself, but only as a friend. That’s all he’s ever seen him as.  
Of course.  
All of the flirting they do is just their way of joking with each other, right? That’s all it is: Platonic interaction. He loves that they can bounce jokes and banter off each other so easily, like they’ve been doing so all their lives. They have a good relationship. That’s all he wants.  
. . .  
But, is it really?  
The flirting they do- does it actually come from a place of truth? As he thinks now, the flirting does seem to roll off easier when it’s with Quackity- like, he's play-flirted with other people before, but it’s never felt as genuine as it is with his duck friend. Does that mean something? Is he looking too far into it? Honestly, it's more that he's concerned with leading his friend on if he actually has feelings for him- he'd never want to hurt him intentionally. Or accidentally, if he can help it.  
But Quackity’s laugh, man did it bring such a smile to his face. Hearing him being happy and having fun brought him such joy, but his laugh itself was just so contagious and nice. He’d listen to it all the time if he could. Is that weird? It feels weird.  
He loves Quackity, platonically. He's probably just overthinking everything since he's kinda touched starved at the moment. Schlatt ran a hand over his face as he signed a paper regarding the use of hybrid abilities. Why are things complicated? He knows that it is normal and acceptable to be affectionate with your friends, but he just…  
A knock on his door brought him out of his thoughts- he looked over to the clock.  
3:00 PM  
Did he space out that long? He quickly got up and walked to the door as a second, harder knock rang out. On the other side were Tubbo and Tommy.  
“Quackity wanted us to ask if you would join us in the living room for Monopoly!” That sly bastard- he knew Monopoly was Schlatt’s favorite, and, even if may not seem like it, he does have a bit of a soft spot for kids.  
“Yes or no, Schlatt?” He looked back at his desk before sighing.  
“I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Tubbo’s face lit up while Tommy’s grew a smirk.  
“Get ready to be taken down!” Schlatt rolled his eyes playfully at him.  
“Whatever you think, child- go on, I have some things to grab first.” Tubbo linked arms with the now angry-looking Tommy and dragged him off, while the other was saying whatever about being a man. Schlatt let a small smile rest on his face before turning around and organizing some papers on his desk. Afterward, he left and stopped in the now empty kitchen to grab some whiskey- he did the same thing as yesterday and poured it into a separate cup. Then he finally went into the living room.  
Everyone from yesterday was there- so Pogtopia, George, Eret, and Fundy-, except there was a new soaking wet pyromaniac.  
“Are you sitting on the couch while soaking wet?” Everyone immediately turned towards him- honestly, it was kinda creepy.  
“Well you see, Pres-”  
“Just don’t walk here in the rain again- you know why.” Schlatt was one of the few outside the Dream team to know of Sapnap being part Blaze- that’s how he was able to make fire-, only because every hybrid had to be documented. The idiot wasn’t supposed to walk around in the rain and get wet because, over time, it would affect his overall health and fire abilities.  
“Yeah, yeah- whatever old man.” Schlatt rolled his eyes playfully walking over and taking a seat on the floor beside Quackity and Fundy.  
“Okay! I explained it before, but we are going to be on teams since there are too many of us. Catch is, you aren’t picking. We are drawing from a hat.” Quackity shook his bean a bit to symbolize that. “No redraws either- so let's get going!”  
Everyone watched as he reached his hand in and stirred it around before taking out 2 pieces of paper.  
“Alright, the first pair is Eret and…. Niki!” Wilbur didn’t look pleased that his girlfriend had to work with the main traitor from the Revolution, Schlatt couldn’t exactly blame him (No offense to Eret), but rules are rules.  
“Next is Techno and George.”  
“I’m gonna steal your boyfriend Dream-”  
“TECHNO-” Schlatt hid his laugh behind a hand.  
“Shush, you love birds- next is Me and Fundy! Hell yeah!” The fox smiled and returned the fist bump Quackity had held out.  
“Sap and Dream.”  
“LET’S GO!”  
“And then Tubbo and Tommy-”  
“Let’s wreck these motherfuckers Big-T!”  
“Yeah!”  
“That leaves Wilbur and Schlatt!” Everyone went silent at that. Just his luck- just his fucking luck.  
“What are ya waiting for? Andolay Andolay!” Everyone got up and met up with their partner, including Schlatt, he walked over to the man sitting on the opposite couch of where Sap was and sat down beside him. He’d be lying if he’d say he wasn’t tense and nervous.  
“Can I have the top hat?”  
“Well of course! Go ahead and grab your player piece.” Wilbur looked over at Schlatt and he could swear his heart sped up from anxiety.  
“You pick.” Wilbur shrugged his shoulders and grabbed a random piece- the car.  
“What colors are we going for?” Schlatt stretched his arms out and yawned before answering.  
“The pink and orange properties. Make it a big lane.” Wilbur seemed to think on it for a moment before nodding.  
“I was going to suggest pink and red, but while I hate to admit it, that’s a good idea.” Schlatt lifted his feet onto the couch and sat criss-cross apple sauce (Don’t fucking question me-)  
“ Your turn to roll to see who goes first.” Wilbur gave him a look and Schlatt squinted his eyes at him accompanied by an exasperated huff. It almost felt like old times- before any of this when he and Wilbur would mess around. Schlatt had always had really good luck with rolling dice; the two would rock up random casinos when they were younger and win loads of money.  
Schlatt reached over and grabbed the dice, shaking them some, before letting go over the top of the board.  
11  
“Looks like you're going first!”  
Wilbur sent him a smirk, and of course, he returned it, just like they were teenagers again. Except this time, they were going to rock their friends' monopoly world.  
\------------------------------------------------------  
The game ended up lasting just under 3 hours. The first out was George and Techno, a little less than an hour in. They were doing alright but kept getting hit by Tommy and Tubbo’s railroads until they went bankrupt. Next was Niki and Eret, who hadn’t been able to get much property in the first place. Then it was Sapnap and Dream, who got out because of Schlatt and Wilbur’s lane of taxes (They had to trade the last railroad and red with Tommy and Tubbo for the last orange property). 2rd to last was Quackity and Fundy, leaving Tommy + Tubbo against Wilbur + Schlatt. It was a constant back and forth of paying each other, but ultimately, Tommy and Tubbo stood no chance against the powerhouse of a lane that the other two had built up.  
“Looks like the Presidents take the win, then!” If Schlatt could grin wider than he already was, he would.  
“Hell yeah, we did!” He looked over to Wilbur, who was also grinning wide.  
“Your damn right,” Schlatt replied. “Though, I’ll be the first to admit that you two were extremely close to winning, as well.” Tubbo smiled at Tommy with glee, who gave the other a playful punch to the shoulder.  
“I’m making dinner tonight, so go do whatever till I call you out.” Quackity booped Schlatt’s nose as he passed by, and a sudden warmth sprang up in his stomach. He couldn’t really decide if he liked it or not.  
Soon after, everyone began to leave the living room to do whatever until it was only Wilbur and Schlatt left. Maybe now was the time to explain why he banned him from Manberg. The man in question began to leave, but Schlatt stopped him.  
“Wilbur?” God, why is he so awkward? Wilbur turned around and looked at him- his face back to the hard as stone look he wore around Schlatt now, like the Monopoly game had never happened. It made Schlatt want to curl up and die just because he was the one that ruined their friendship in the first place.  
“I…. we need to talk.”


	7. Let's Shed Some Light On This, Shall We?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like- angst. Also, I changed/added a bit to the first chapter so there was a bit more lead up to what's revealed this chapter, so make sure to check that out before hand.  
> Also, I refuse to believe that Schlatt actually died from a heart attack in the SMP, and if that's actually cannon, then he had to have known that it would happen, at least. This man basically committed suicide just so no one would have the satisfaction of killing him and that's why he's my favorite from the SMP. He's just so great at playing a character and there is no changing my mind.

Schlatt let his mind wonder until he and Wilbur arrived in his office. The room was basically an organized mess, but it wasn’t the worst it could be.  
He sat down in his chair and fiddled with his hands while Wilbur sat down in the chair in front of the desk. They sat there in silence for a bit, Schlatt trying to find the right words to start this off with. If he’s honest, he’s almost certain he isn’t supposed to even share what he planned to say with Wilbur, but Dream be damned- he needs to explain what had gone so wrong.  
“Do you remember the day I disappeared, before the revolution?” Schlatt looked up from his hands and stared back at Wilbur.  
“Yes?” He took a deep breath as he drummed his fingers against his leg under the desk.  
“Did Dream ever tell you why I was gone?” Wilbur squinted his eyes at the hybrid, trying to figure out where this was going.  
“No- why would he know?” Schlatt took a deep breath before leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes.  
“I got banned.” Wilbur stiffened from surprise- Dream had been vague on what happened to Schlatt, and when the ram had returned, he had refused to tell anyone where he disappeared off to during the revolution. If Wilbur was honest- he resented the man for leaving him in his time of need, and he resented him even more now after everything, but…  
“I got banned because I broke into Dream’s house to yell at him for what he was doing to you all.” Wilbur would be surprised, but that did sound like something the old Schlatt would do. He used to care so much for people- maybe his time being alone changed him just like being banned from L’Manberg had changed Wilbur himself.  
“Did you bring me in here just to tell me this? Your sad story of defending us isn’t gonna make me love you or something. You banned me from my country too.” Schlatt ran a hand over his face.  
“No, I dragged you into here to tell you how Dream dragged me back in.”  
“Get to it, then.”  
“Yeah, yeah-” The hybrid grabbed a pen from his desk and began playing around with it. Wilbur knew this certain mannerism, actually- Schlatt did alway have to keep his hands occupied when he was nervous or anxious. He hates that a bit of him wished that he could help his old ram friend feel better, but no- he had suffered from this man, and he didn’t deserve his comfort.  
“Dream came to me not long after the revolution had ended. I almost hit him over the head when he told me what happened,” Schlatt let out an amused sigh before his tone turned more somber. “But then he told me something else.” Wilbur’s head tilted slightly in confusion.  
“Listen, Wilbur- we’ve known each other since I was 10. I know you, and somehow Dream knows you almost just as well. I’m going to say it’s because of his incredible people skills.” Wilbur would be lying if he said he wasn’t confused about where this was going.  
“Wil, you aren’t exactly fit for the Presidency.” Wilbur stared at him for a moment before letting out a huff and standing up. He wasn’t going to sit here and be insulted. He turned to leave-  
“Wait-!” Schlatt cringed at how desperate that sounded, but it did its job of getting Wilbur to turn back around.  
“I don’t like saying this, okay- but you're stubborn and don’t listen to people. Dream knew this would only end in you accidentally being a tyrant and bringing the country down with you.” Wilbur stared at him for a moment before burying his face into his hands.  
“What? So you decided to put the opinion of someone who just came out as the loser of a revolution over your friend?” Schlatt let out a shaky breath.  
“Wilbur-”  
“Oh will you just SHUT UP!” Wilbur turned around and slammed his hand onto Schlatt’s desk, and immediately knew he messed up. The ram jumped out of his chair and tried to back up but was met with the wall. His breathing had picked up somewhat.  
If there was one thing Wilbur hadn’t meant to do, no matter how much he had despised the hybrid in the room with him right now, it was trigger some kind of bad memory in the other, especially knowing more about the other’s past than anyone else did. He knew how the caretakers had treated the other back when he was stuck in that horrid ophangage, and even now, he wished he could’ve done something to have stopped it.  
“Shit- I’m sorry, okay.” Wilbur wanted to walk over and help the other but he knew that he would just make matters worse, if he did.  
Schlatt took a deep breath before peeling himself off the wall. He hated that he still reacted that way to yelling and loud noises. He could do fine if he knew that either was going to happen or was out of happiness from others, but otherwise….  
“It’s fine- just… let me finish, please.” His voice was noticeably quieter and less confident sounding, and despite everything, Wilbur hated himself for making it that way.  
“I know it’s not going to make you happy when I say that Dream wasn’t off in most spots.” Both sat back down, and Schlatt was right in what he said; it didn't make Wilbur happy hearing that, but instead of anger, he just felt… sick. Maybe because, deep down, Wilbur knew there was something right in those words.  
“Dream didn’t want his friends hurt from what would happen, so he came to me and offered to keep you guys safe if I ran for President and banned you if I won.”  
What?  
Wilbur stared at Schlatt, but Schlatt couldn’t bring himself to look the other in the eyes.  
“Look, I realize I should’ve made him tweak it so I didn’t have to ban you guys, or just shouldn’t have accepted and just let him find someone else but-” He stopped to breathe.  
“I wanted you and the others safe. And I couldn’t even do that- Dream literally gave you TNT to blow everything and everyone up. I’ve known about it from the start and yet I didn’t do anything because what could I do? I don’t know, I just….” The ram stood up and just walked to the door.  
“I don’t expect forgiveness or anything- I’ll just let you think or whatever.”  
And with that, he left Wilbur to think on whatever the fuck he had just been told.  
\-----------------------------------------------------  
Schlatt broke into a run after he left the room, just in case Wilbur decided to come after him. Multiple people called after him as he ran out the White House, but he could barely hear them over the pounding in his chest and the beating of the rain around him. He turned down the alley right outside of the White House, just to shake off anyone that might have run after him, and let himself collapse onto the ground, making sure he was somewhat hidden from view by a trash can.  
God, what was he thinking? Did he ever actually use that pea sized brain of his? He got himself banned just because he was angry and need to take it out on the person who caused it, and then came back to this goddamn place just to run for president because someone was able to plant seeds in his anxiety riddled brain that his friend would accidentally hurt himself and everyone around him if he was allowed to be president. And he banned his friend, and hurt people just like Dream told him Wilbur would do, and-  
God, he felt like an absolute piece of shit.  
He’s a hypocrite, even if he tried to change and give the people as much control as he could.  
He’s hurt everyone.  
Niki was wrong. So fucking wrong, but not in the good way.  
He ran Manberg just like Wilbur would’ve.  
That’s what pushed him to break down that watery alley way.  
\--------------------------------------------------  
Tommy wasn’t there to see Schlaat run off, but Niki had popped into his room to tell him about it not long after it happened.  
“So are you trying to get me to go look for him in the rain?” Niki strummed her fingers on the door frame.  
‘No- I need you to look for Will. I saw Schlatt lead him somewhere and I haven’t seen him since. I’m not saying Schlatt did anything, but still.” Tommy squinted his eyes and shook his head- he should’ve known that Schlatt would try something to do something to Will once he could get him alone. That’s probably why the ram had run off; he was trying to run from whatever he did. .  
If only Tommy knew he was right in all the wrong ways.  
“Yeah, I’ll look for him.” Niki let out a sigh of relief.  
“Thank you- I’ll join in looking once I’m able to talk Quackity out of running into the pouring rain to find Schaltt. We can’t find him in that, no matter how much he wants to try. Anyways, I suggest looking in Schlatt’s office- That’s the direction I saw them walk in.” Tommy simply nodded his head as the other left before bouncing up himself and dashing out his room. If something happened to his brother, he doesn’t know what he’d do with himself. They’ve been through so much together and he has no idea what he’d do without him.  
Tommy skidded to a halt right outside Schlatt’s office and quickly opened the door, mentally preparing himself in case the worst scenario had played out.  
What he didn’t expect was to find Wilbur curled up in the chair in front of the desk, crying so silently that if he wasn’t reaching up to wipe his face, Tommy wouldn’t have been able to tell from behind.  
“Wilbur?” The man in question lifted his head from its resting face on top of his knees and tried his best to look towards the boy behind him. Tommy jogged over and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
“Wilbur, what happened?”  
“Tommy, that’s the problem- I don’t fucking know what happened.”


End file.
